A husky, Irish-shaped shadow looms over this fourth season of HBO's acclaimed therapy drama. One full decade on since it came off the air, In Treatment returns with a new counsellor in the chair, Uzo Aduba's Brooke Taylor replacing Gabriel Byrne's Paul Weston. But Dr Paul haunts the show throughout its 24-episode run (which might sound like a long haul until you consider that the very first series had 43 of them): he's there in a photo frame beside a smiling Brooke; his face lights up her phone as she avoids yet another of his calls; and she later leaves him a message knowing full well his appearance on live TV means he can't pick up.

For those who like a bit of low-stakes tension, we'll leave it hanging whether Brooke does ever come face to face with her long-term mentor and current supervisor. There will no doubt be a significant constituency unable to contemplate an In Treatment without the soothing yet flawed Dr Weston (he did fall in love with one patient and physically assault another) but Aduba makes for a striking replacement in the psychotherapist's chair. Brooke may be (for the most part) a calm presence in the face of her three patients but, inevitably, behind the scenes she is pretty much a mess: her sponsor (Liza Colón-Zayas' Rita) acts as a sounding board in the face of a partner (Joel Kinnaman's Adam) who appears to enable her darker instincts and one client in particular (John Benjamin Hickey's angry white-collar criminal Colin) who passive-aggressively pushes her to the very limit.

While Aduba is fine in the central role, she is arguably outshone by those her character faces either on Zoom or in the room: Quintessa Swindell's Laila struggles with a grandmother who is controlling at best, frightening at worst; Anthony Ramos' Eladio wrestles with childhood shame and a mental-health diagnosis which may not have helped his cause; and Hickey's Colin is a ghastly mix of infuriating, entitled, and needy. While there is a shark-jumping moment near the end when the whole operation threatens to utterly derail, a wonderful trio of performances elevate this series to the heights which In Treatment soared towards in what now feels like a lifetime ago.

Sky Atlantic, Mondays, 9pm; all episodes available on NOW TV.